Valvoline (NYSE:VVV): It’s a slow-growth and stable stock. This is the correct level to buy.

Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD): “I’ll see your Anheuser Busch InBev and I’ll raise you a Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ). By the way, I didn’t like that Molson Coors (NYSE:TAP) report yesterday at all.”

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII): Huntington Ingalls is a good stock, and so is General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), Cramer said.

Analog Devices (NASDAQ:ADI): The stock doesn’t deserve the punishment. A merger will make things work. Stick to the stock.

Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR): “Just a consistent, good gainer. Look, they take care of the stuff, the animal processing, the junk, and it’s been a good business for them.”

Bearish Calls

BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY): “No, it’s already moved so much. Intellectual property can only get you so far. We missed that one. Let’s find the next.”

Many investors are worried about what’s going on with Washington but instead they should focus on what’s working – growth and value. I think the story is much less about Director Comey versus President Trump than it is about two stocks: Nvidia versus Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN),” said Cramer.

Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) is a secular growth stock that maintains its momentum even during bad headlines. Even with new so Comey, the stock went up by $10 on Thursday as a Citigroup analyst gave it a price target of $300. He cited that the company’s end markets are growing be it data center, AI or gaming. “Today’s move is the equivalent of the buyers saying Trump’s tax cuts, they’re finished. Forget about them. So we’ve got to buy the stocks of companies that can do well without any help from Washington whatsoever,” said Cramer.

Nordstrom is a value play. The stock went up as company may consider going private. Cramer thinks it’s a good idea as the company will be able to fix itself without being on the Wall-Street radar. “If Nordstrom’s going to go private, and I think it will, it will fetch a much higher price. I bet the company will indeed go for sale,” said Cramer. PE firms will pound on a company that has high profit margins.

“Taking itself private might allow Nordstrom to do even more, and then perhaps one day when the prospects for brick and mortar seem less grim, the company can come public again at a big profit to the new owners,” he added. Apart from growth and value stocks banks will go higher in anticipation of a rate hike. Oil price has fallen and the stocks can rally as traders expect that oil has bottomed.

“Right now, the story is that we’ve got a good trade going in retail, banks and oil, along with solid investments in the anointed growth stocks I mentioned,” he concluded.

CANDIES stocks are up 271% since 2010, compared to S&P 500 which is up 121%. Chipotle would have been higher had it not been for the E.coli breakout, Apple and Netflix are part of FANG while Deckers Brands has been a loser.

Intuitive Surgical has been rallying and it is one of the best stocks in the healthcare group. Express Scripts has not been a winner by any metric and Salesforce has emerged as the leader in cloud computing.

“Conclusions? First, this market has a fascination with growth, especially in the era of stifled economic activity. It never mattered how expensive that growth was. These were all super expensive as long as the company in question didn’t stop growing, as Deckers and Express Scripts did. Second, listen to your kids, but you’ve still got to do your homework,” said Cramer. Don’t be afraid to own high growth stocks as long as you have the temperament to stick with it for the long-term.

The stock of IAC has doubled in the last 12 months and yet it has not got the attention it deserved. They have 16 big brands despite spinning off big assets like Match Group (NASDAQ:MTCH), Lending Tree (NASDAQ:TREE) and Ticketmaster. They have created $40B in value over the last decade.

“It’s because IAC is a confusing conglomerate of online businesses that people simply don’t understand. They don’t know how IAC is structured, and more importantly, they can’t keep track of what IAC even owns,” said Cramer.

The 16 brands include Ask.com, Dotdash, HomeAdvisor, The Daily Beast, Dictionary.com, Vimeo and Tinder, which is owned by Match. “Put it all together and IAC’s sites have more than 500M unique monthly users and 2.5B monthly page views. Perhaps more important, IAC’s been around for decades, and it’s been a history of incubating great ideas then spinning them off as their own separate companies,” said Cramer.

He added that Chairman and Senior Executive Barry Diller understands the web. “In the ’90s he embraced the rise of cable TV. But by the early 2000s, after the dot-com boom went bust, Diller quickly started de-emphasizing his cable franchises and turning more attention to the web.” They have made some big acquisitions and spinoffs.

Their latest plan is to acquire Angie’s list (NASDAQ:ANGI) and merge it with HomeAdvisor. “Even though IAC has caught fire lately, I think the company and its terrific leader, Barry Diller, just don’t get the respect or the attention that they deserve. Of course, I have to tell you, they do not seek it, just so you know. But Diller’s proven to be an incredible and unheralded value creator over the years, and I bet IAC’s stock has a lot more room to run,” concluded Cramer.

Inovio Pharmaceuticals is a bio pharmaceutical company. It develops active DNA immunotherapies for cancer and infectious diseases. The company’s portfolio of immune therapies includes SynCon immunotherapies and electroporation delivery systems. The company received FDA approval to commence with Phase III trials for Inovio’s cervical cancer treatment and the stock rallied. Cramer interviewed CEO Dr. Joseph Kim to know more.

Kim said that the company has been efficient in developing and testing their cutting-edge treatments. Their platform could yield therapies for many types of cancer. VGX-3100 can file for FDA approval in 2021 if all goes well.

“We’re very focused and we’re very good at what we do, but also, it’s our technology platform. It’s a very innovative way of jump-charging a patient’s own immune system, and we can do this very rapidly and effectively,” he added.

Even though Inovio is small, it has partnered with Big Pharma players, which is a sign of confidence. “The confidence isn’t out of ignorance, it’s really based on our data. We have about 1,000 patients’ worth of strong and potent immune responses already recorded across our early trials. While we’re still growing, this is a wonderful platform that’s been validated with a lot of these data,” said Kim.

Viewer calls taken by Cramer

Foot Locker (NYSE:FL): Their last quarter was not good but Cramer thinks they will be okay.

Share this:

Comey Testimony a Prism for Viewing American Politics – New York Times

In bars, V.F.W. halls, offices and living rooms, Americans were riveted by the testimony of James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, a moment of high drama about the conduct of President Trump, the workings of American democracy and the threats of Russian involvement in the presidential election.

For some the proceedings were seen through the prism of the partisan divide. For others, they were less about Democrats and Republicans than about a dystopian sense that American governance has veered off the rails. Here are four accounts from around the country.

Frustration and Disgust

DENVER — The televisions at the Park Tavern in a leafy neighborhood near the Colorado State Capitol are usually tuned to sports, but on Thursday morning, it was wall-to-wall Comey as breakfast regulars sipped late-morning beers and aired their frustration and disgust with a political scandal that had dimmed their views of the president.

The Run-Up

The podcast that makes sense of the most delirious stretch of the 2016 campaign.

“He’s causing his own demise,” said Chad Cunningham, 45, an Air Force veteran who has voted for Republicans and Democrats but sat out the last presidential election. “He’s not doing anything for this country except embarrassing us.”

Mr. Cunningham said the former F.B.I. director seemed honest and forthright, a man with little to hide and little reason to lie. To him, Mr. Comey’s steady, detailed delivery made Mr. Trump’s shoot-from-the-phone Twitter habit seem especially intemperate and cavalier. He said he would be perfectly happy if Vice President Mike Pence took over for Mr. Trump.

“Because this is not working,” he said.

As the testimony unfolded on the TV screens, Michael O’Brien, 55, a retired teacher, hunched over his tablet, earbuds inserted, because he said the livestream from PBS was arriving just a few seconds earlier than the cable news feed.

“I’m afraid I’m going to miss something,” he said.

Mr. O’Brien had nothing kind to say about Mr. Trump or Republican politicians and commentators who have defended him and his campaign during the Russia investigation. He said he was disturbed by Russian hacking and interference in the last election, and was shocked more people were not equally outraged.

Mr. O’Brien and the woman sitting next to him at the bar, Sherry Wing, often argue politics. When he criticized the president, Ms. Wing would often respond that the country needed to come together after a divisive election and give him time to grow into the office. She said she still believed that to an extent, but as the testimony played overhead, she was developing another view.

“He’s just a spoiled rotten baby,” Ms. Wing said. “Let’s move forward. What are you going to do to make this country better?”

Ms. Wing, a registered Republican who tends bar at an American Legion post, voted independent last November out of distaste for both Mr. Trump and Hillary Clinton. She said she was not much fazed by political corruption (as old as America) or the revelations of Russian meddling into the election (a distraction).

But Ms. Wing was dismayed by what she believed the investigation had revealed about Mr. Trump’s temperament and character.

“What the hell does this have to do with anything?” Ms. Wing said. “Bring back our jobs. Bring back our dignity.” JACK HEALY

‘A Big Mess’

GROVETOWN, Ga. — The water tower here includes a rendering of an American flag and, just above Grovetown’s name, “God Bless America.” Soldiers from Fort Gordon fill restaurants, gas stations and retail shops.

But though it was easy to find a television beaming out Mr. Comey’s remarks, many people found other things to focus on.

“I think a lot of people have run with one little bit, and now it’s a big mess,” said Deborah Barnes, 61, who has run Hairy’s Barber Shop for about 18 years. “I would argue a lot of people — just regular Joes — see it the same way, and that’s why they elected Donald Trump.”

Ms. Barnes, dressed in a black barber’s smock with “Debbie” embroidered in red, had the hearing on in her shop. About an hour into Mr. Comey’s testimony, her customers had paid little attention, she said.

“I don’t even think that anybody noticed it being on,” she said. “They’re just interested in getting a haircut.”

Although Ms. Barnes said she was paying some attention to the day’s proceedings, she said she viewed the hearing as unlikely to settle any of the questions that have dogged Mr. Trump’s presidency.

“It is a big mess,” said Ms. Barnes, who does not use Twitter and said she was a sparing user of Facebook. “In my opinion, some of the senators are just out to get anything.”

She added, “Whether you’re Democrat or Republican, your president is your damn president.”

In nearby Augusta, Santria Swinton, 32, was watching the hearing as she cleaned at a hotel where the asking rate for a room on Thursday night was $97. As she moved among rooms on the fourth floor, she was switching televisions to CNN so she could listen to Mr. Comey.

“I just want to know what’s going on,” she said as she paused for a moment at the door of Room 409, the white comforter on its bed already adjusted, just so. “I’m just taking it all in. I’m just nosy.”

At the Harlem, Ga., Huddle House, across the street from a mural of Laurel and Hardy, the Comey hearing was playing on one television and ESPN on another. But neither appeared to be getting much attention.

A family sat in a booth closest to the television where Fox News was playing.

“I just think it’s propaganda,” Erin Mallory, 39, said as she stood behind the counter and a child screamed from elsewhere in the restaurant.

Ms. Mallory said she would catch up on Mr. Comey’s comments later.

“I think it’s just more noise,” she said. ALAN BLINDER

‘Come On, Give an Answer’

CHICAGO — In a quiet back room of a bakery here, three friends gathered Thursday to sip coffee, watch CNN and analyze every syllable Mr. Comey said about a president they loathe.

“I didn’t want to see the highlights,” said Chris Stone, 40, who took the day off from his job in advertising to watch the hearing. “I didn’t want to see the spin afterwards. I really was looking for the direct conversations.”

A couple of hours in, Mr. Stone said he heard enough to conclude that Mr. Trump — a man he described as “awful” and “dirty” — had tried to manipulate Mr. Comey.

“I think this is just the tip of the spear in terms of this investigation,” Mr. Stone said.

Seated next to him, Tari Toppe, 42, said she thought there was “possibly” enough information now to pursue impeachment of Mr. Trump.

“I was kind of hoping they would get enough out of this to look into obstruction of justice,” said Ms. Toppe, a massage therapist and stay-at-home mother.

Their friend, Kira Kurka, 43, was enjoying a carrot cake muffin and paying close attention for any evidence that Mr. Trump may have colluded with Russia. When Mr. Comey dodged a question on that topic, Ms. Kurka responded with displeasure. “Come on, give an answer,” she said. “That’s why we’re here.”

But even Mr. Comey’s nonanswer spoke volumes, Ms. Kurka said. “He has something, he just can’t say, it’s something that has to be in a closed-door session, because it’s something big that could maybe lead to impeachment,” speculated Ms. Kurka, a photographer who said she was procrastinating on work in order to watch the hearing.

Mr. Stone, Ms. Toppe and Ms. Kurka all voted for Mrs. Clinton in last year’s presidential election, and all expressed fears about the state of American democracy under Mr. Trump.

But the three friends agreed that Mr. Comey’s public testimony was a positive step, a sign that investigators were taking the Russia issue seriously and that wrongdoers might be held accountable.

They credited senators from both parties who asked tough questions. They scoffed as Republicans kept mentioning Mrs. Clinton’s email server.

Mr. Stone said the hearing had been “a good thing for transparency, for the American people.” And he said patience was needed as the investigation continued to unfold.

“Hopefully,” Mr. Stone said, “Americans aren’t expecting that this is going to be a quick conclusion.” MITCH SMITH

Distaste for Politics

PHOENIX — A burlesque dancer, a former Army ranger and a Home Depot sales clerk sat around the dark-mahogany bar at Ole Brass Rail on Thursday morning, having a drink at the end of a shift, or filling their stomachs at the start of a workday. The 18 television sets on the walls customarily show Diamondbacks or Cardinals games. But not Thursday morning.

Mr. Comey was testifying before Congress, so the bartender, Kathie Larsyn, tuned in to ABC and put up the volume, figuring everyone wanted to hear what Mr. Comey had to say.

At the bar, located on a busy corner between a check-cashing center and a Mexican restaurant, the political persuasions vary, but many regulars are united by their distaste for politics these days. The dancer, Kitty Victorian, voted for Hillary Clinton. The ranger, Abel Candelaria, voted for Donald Trump. The salesman, Terry Gaines, did not bother to cast a ballot last November.

In this slice of Arizona, a state that last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 1996, the debate around the bar on Thursday was not about red or blue ideology, or about who was right — Mr. Comey or Mr. Trump. There was only sporadic interest in what was being said and instead a dismissive sense about politics in general.

“The whole thing is a circus,” said Ms. Gaines, 64, referring to the senators, who are “beholden to their constituents,” and Mr. Comey, “who probably has his own agenda.” Then, he returned to his plate of hash browns and scrambled eggs.

The only time when everyone seemed to be paying attention was when Senator John McCain of Arizona asked Mr. Comey about his investigation into Mrs. Clinton’s emails.

“Aren’t we talking about Russia?” Ms. Larsyn asked, her eyes trained on the screen.

In the bar, at least, the conversation veered toward Russia and whether it interfered in the elections, which “pretty much everyone agrees is pretty crazy,” Ms. Larsyn said.

Mr. Gaines recalled the weekly duck-and-cover in school when he was a child and the fear that he and everyone had of a nuclear attack by the former Soviet Union.

“Now, they say Russia influenced the elections for president of the United States,” he said, shaking his head.

Don Cross, 82, who was sipping a Budweiser, is a registered Republican who voted for Mrs. Clinton “because the alternative was terrible.” Nothing since the election has made him feel better about politics.

These days, “I’m a skeptical,” he said. “I don’t trust any of these people on TV. I don’t trust their motives.” FERNANDA SANTOS

Share this:

Three Leadership Roles That Technology Can't Replace – Forbes

Shutterstock

There is a “neomania” — or a fascination with the new — gripping our world. While self-driving cars roam our streets right here in Singapore, ominous headlines warn about the looming obsolescence of labour and management.

In a world where stores know that you are pregnant without asking, an algorithm will no doubt be developed that is better at detecting the signs of disaffected employees before managers do.

For those of us leaders who still want to keep our jobs, fear not: there are three important manager functions that even the best software cannot fulfil.

1. Technology can’t choose your culture for you

Culture is an emergent property of the organization, tended by its custodians — management. When we choose to enshrine consensus-building as a value in our organization, we are necessarily choosing to sacrifice individual initiative. This isn’t a choice that we can leave to technology, nor should we.

When I spoke to Natalie Vine, Peopleworks Leader Southeast Asia of Flight Centre Travel Group, winner of the 2017 HRM Awards’ gong for Best Workplace Culture & Engagement in the small companies category, she shared that they believe that when it comes to people engagement, technology is part of but somewhat secondary when it comes to culture building.

They instead choose to focus on working as a family. This is primarily guided by one of their philosophies “Family Village Tribe.” Leaders are very accessible and no-one has their own private office. They relentlessly draw lines of sight from each person’s contribution to the company’s targets by daily communication and recognition.

Such decisions (and actions) can’t be made by a robot.

2. Technology can’t choose your culture levers

So you have a clear idea of the values that matter to your organization. The next step is to select a suite of tools and levers that enable you to support and nurture this culture. There is no technology solution to this challenge — in part because technology is itself a culture lever.

For example, just by having an interview with an employee, an average HR professional has access to a wealth of conversational insights that can influence policies regarding office layout, meetings, or learning and development programs. Technology has a steep learning curve to match the skillsets that is inborn to all of us.

Tower Transit Singapore (TTS), winner of the same award above in the medium-sized companies category, also spoke to me for this article. Glenn Lim, Group Communications Director of TTS, shared that they were “extremely deliberate about culture building.” Being in an industry that has traditionally been a late adopter of technology, there were plenty of opportunities for improvement.

However, the team resisted the urge to reach out for the latest grab bag of tech solutions. Most of the culture levers that were instituted were in large part non-technology-related.

For instance, in order to cultivate “servant leadership,” TTS increased bus captain salaries, had senior managers serve food to staff at company events, and improved rest facilities at bus terminals.

Shutterstock

3. Technology can’t offer guidance to team members, you can

It’s been a couple of years since Eugene Goostman, an AI chatbot fooled the world into thinking that he was a 13-year-old Ukrainian boy. Since then, though chatbots are mushrooming on various chat platforms, we are no closer to seeing a conversational chatbot with potential for productivity in the HR workplace.

One of the titans in technology, former CEO of Intel Andy Grove, wrote about the highest leverage activity any leader can engage in: training. If a manager spends 12 hours preparing training for 10 team members that increases their output by only 1% on average, the result is 200 hours of increased output from the 10 employees (assuming each works about 2,000 hours a year).

Twelve hours in exchange for 200. If the quality of that training goes up, the exchange rate gets even better. Such guidance is difficult to outsource to machines. The Center for Creative Leadership found that effective people development abides by a “70/20/10” model: of the total time spent on guidance, 10% comes from formal coursework and classroom learning, 20% from coaching and mentoring, and the remaining 70% from performing stretch assignments.

While algorithms can help target such efforts, the actual work is still best applied by humans. Bill Gates said that “as we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” Perhaps the secondary takeaway from this prediction is that in the next century, leaders will still be the ones to do so, and not an AI.

What can technology do then?

Technology will be a boon to HR for tracking and monitoring progress on many fronts. However, it is possible to get caught up in neomania and overstate the case for technology. Ebook sales have been falling since 2015 in favour of traditional books. Newer is not always better, and human judgment, augmented by technology, is the best bet for companies of any size.

How those tools are used, for better or worse, becomes a strong statement about who you are as a company.

CheeTung Leong is the CEO and co-founder of EngageRocket. Follow him on LinkedIn and read more from him here.